OMG! TERRORISTS!

[granny]

Can we please not use a modern term in order to explain whatever is happening ICly? Calling people terrorist makes no sense to me. Maybe it does for most people who is bombed all day by media with this word, but it seems, at least to me, that it has as much space as it does "racist" or "feminist". We got rioter, dissident, rebel, bomber, and we still got the chance to create our own terms.

[MarbleFaun]

While I can understand the point you're making about immersion, it's worth noting that the word terrorist isn't really modern at all. It's been in use for over 200 years, and is arguably older than some of the other aspects of EFU's nomenclature. I think its just that terrorist has taken on a very prominent role in our society, and has oversaturated political debates.

I don't personally see anything incongruous about calling someone a terrorist in EFU provided it is in the sense that they are attempting to effect terror in a populace.

[I love cats]

Really the word terrorist is not as bizarre or immersion breaking as the use of the word racism/racist. It was quite absurd seeing a PC  write the word racist down to describe Buckman when he proposed a rather xenophobic law made to prosecute certain people. I also forsee hiarious scenario's of Half-Orcs or goblins saying something like "thats racist." its just too absurd.

In the realms the races are clearly defined with bizarre monstrous innately evil creatures and other intelligent beings clearly racially different and distinct like not sleeping and living over 100 years old. Use words like xenophobic, bigoted, Ignorant, and dumb ass instead to describe racist PCS like Buckman.

[Vlaid]

I changed it to dissidents in my sending thread. We'll just pretend that's the sending I made.

In the future feel free to just politely PM me and I would be willing to listen to honest and reasonable critique. I do agree it's possible it sounds a little moderny, even if it isn't a modern word itself.

[putrid_plum]

The word fuck for me is dumb to see IG.  We all have words we dont like to see!

[granny]

I changed it to dissidents in my sending thread. We'll just pretend that's the sending I made.

In the future feel free to just politely PM me and I would be willing to listen to honest and reasonable critique. I do agree it's possible it sounds a little moderny, even if it isn't a modern word itself.

Vlaid, it was not directed only to you, as even DMs use the word now and then. Just check the Announcement thread. My aim is the community as it has been hitting to me as disorienting to see such term flooding into our interactions without discussion.

While I can understand the point you're making about immersion, it's worth noting that the word terrorist isn't really modern at all. It's been in use for over 200 years, and is arguably older than some of the other aspects of EFU's nomenclature. I think its just that terrorist has taken on a very prominent role in our society, and has oversaturated political debates.

I don't personally see anything incongruous about calling someone a terrorist in EFU provided it is in the sense that they are attempting to effect terror in a populace.

MarbleFaun, 200 years is nothing and if it was to justify the use of a word based on its time around, feminism would sound perfectly fine to be used ICly considering that it got around 200 years too. I guess most of you would cringe at it and not at terrorism because the media isn't yelling it at us all day.

Yet, terrorism started being more common after the French Revolution and actually being really used from the 1950s and beyond, when the word "terrorist" was first detected. The contemporaneous meaning of the word, both rational and emotional, has no more than 70 years.

The word fuck for me is dumb to see IG.  We all have words we dont like to see!

And yeah. "Fuck" dates from 1500s. Old as hell, yet we avoid it as much as we can.

[Zango_Unchained]

[Hide=HISTORY, Tldr]
In fact the word feminism is only 177 years old which is not 200, none the less. Makes as much sense as terrorist and in /Theory/ would be fine for use in a game. Where we have cameras and advanced communication systems. Which infers that we are at least from 1871 from the cameras and the loudpseakeresque communication begs 1834 for at least the first electric telegraph telegraph. Whilst the word terrorism first coined form the state-terrorism of the French during Reign of terror. 1793-94 which means its roughly 221 years old meaning it has fourty four years on the word, and in all honesty none of this matters. But in all honesty, NWN states it best when you pick your gender saying there is really no gender separation in the manner that earth suffers, both have "Equal chance to be heroes" so there is no need for the word Feminism, while a large amount of governments oppress their people so the word terrorism, which at root described terror done on the people by government is much more applicable.
[/Hide]

Adjusted font size, because its late and it hurts my eyes to read tiny words when I'm barely able to be awake.

[SIZE="3"]None of the above really mattes, but point of the matter.

      If your offended by a word IG, handle it IG and don't drag it out to the suggestion thread saying "Change your word choice because I find it modern and annoying". Because that doesn't do anything but upset people.
      And if your offended by a word IG, OOCly. Then I suggest you grit your teeth and bare with it, because your not playing yourself. Not a person with modern sensibilities and understanding, but someone who has survived the ravages of a catastrophic world ending event. And if word choice is the top of your list of things to hate, then they are very very blessed. [/SIZE]

[SIZE="4"]

-But it all comes down to this-

[/SIZE]

[SIZE="3"]Who are we to tell each other what to say or not to say, IG. Its up to the player to spout what ever babble they like, if its a term modern or archaic. Anywho my point is, handle it IG, word choice is only complex as the player behind the computer can make it.[/SIZE]

[domare]

I get Granny's point.  I think it is always good every once in a while to take a look at terminology IG to see if it fits properly within the setting.  We have to keep in mind too, that particular words or language evolves (or devolves) over time due to a number of factors (i.e. illiteracy, cultural, language, religious differences, etc).  So with that in mind...and being that our IG/IC population is diverse, I think it would be fun to describe IG "Terrorists" with seemingly made up terms such as "Destructionists, Anachristers, Blight of Civilized Man, etc").  You know, have a little fun with it.

[Grotesque]

What, exactly, is the suggestion here? Your perceived issue with the word is not a flaw of EFU's policy, but the playerbase itself. I don't think the suggestion forum should be used to try and establish a consensus for what words people should and shouldn't use in character. If anything, subjective rants belong in the general discussion forum.

That aside, EFU is an anachronistic setting and delving into the etymology of words in an attempt to invalidate certain terms is just silly.

[Adhesive]

When I see the word 'terrorist', I think of dudes in turbans running around win AK47's in the desert shooting at big armored vehicles, with a-10s flying overhead. I do not think of someone who tries to cause pain and suffering for the sake of pain and suffering. In my society in particular (American), it's used almost daily by The Media to describe a very specific kind of person in a very specific place. I can see where she's coming from, in that the word's general definition has been informally usurped by a much more specific and modern definition, and in an anachronistic medieval-fantasy setting, being reminded of modern conflict while trying to denounce the actions of a few skinny dudes with pointy ears and longswords can throw off someone's game a little bit.

[Ikaris-]

... When I see the word terrorist, I think of the neighbor kids who used to come out and paint big red targets on our other neighbors cows...

But I digress.

It's a term that can be used for a host of things, but I agree that there are many other synonyms to relate in it's stead. Thanks for bringing this one up, I'd noticed it but just didn't say anything; I may have even joined the mob in repeating the term, can't remember...

[Hound]

While I can understand the point you're making about immersion, it's worth noting that the word terrorist isn't really modern at all. It's been in use for over 200 years, and is arguably older than some of the other aspects of EFU's nomenclature. I think its just that terrorist has taken on a very prominent role in our society, and has oversaturated political debates.

I don't personally see anything incongruous about calling someone a terrorist in EFU provided it is in the sense that they are attempting to effect terror in a populace.

This is bang-on-the-money, really. Lots of the terminology used in Sanctuary's democratic roleplay is more modern than the concept of terrorism. It's not incongruous to a 'steampunk' setting (I use that loosely, since efu at present is very much its own genre of odd and cool).

I actually feel the opposite concerning the use of the word terrorist - I think that because the media has made it such a hard-hitting word, reading it in regards to the description of a character makes them seem significantly more menacing.

[Maimed]

"Terrorism" comes from the French word terrorisme,[15] and originally referred specifically to state terrorism as practiced by the French government during the 1793â€"1794 Reign of terror. The French word terrorisme in turn derives from the Latin verb terreō meaning "I frighten".[16] The terror cimbricus was a panic and state of emergency in Rome in response to the approach of warriors of the Cimbri tribe in 105 BC. The Jacobins cited this precedent when imposing a Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.[17][18] After the Jacobins lost power, the word "terrorist" became a term of abuse.

TL;DR, Words are older than we think they are. While it's true that we should definitely avoid anachronisms and there are some that make my eye twitch, their common use in lexicon makes them indispensable.

That being said, I haven't actually seen the word 'Terrorist' used a lot. No more than "insurgent", "dissident", "Enemy of the State", or any other post enlightenment moniker.

[DapperSkariMask]

When I hear an expression or word ig that I feel doesn't exactly fit, I just treat it like a foreign concept that I can't seem to grasp nor understand. When people spout off about, "freedom of speech," all my PC's question aloud what that's even supposed to mean. But don't act like you're innocent, Granny. I've seen you use modern terminology and concepts before. Nearly everyone has done it. If I remember correctly, one of your characters went off about how torture is illegal, and violates peoples rights and freedoms. Torture being illegal, morally reprehensible, and violating rights and freedoms all seem to be very modern concepts. That last point especially.

[granny]

Guys, this is a Suggestion Thread, not a Discussion Thread. If we really must to discuss the topic proposed by me, maybe we should open an appropriate thread for it. :)

When I hear an expression or word ig that I feel doesn't exactly fit, I just treat it like a foreign concept that I can't seem to grasp nor understand. When people spout off about, "freedom of speech," all my PC's question aloud what that's even supposed to mean. But don't act like you're innocent, Granny. I've seen you use modern terminology and concepts before. Nearly everyone has done it. If I remember correctly, one of your characters went off about how torture is illegal, and violates peoples rights and freedoms. Torture being illegal, morally reprehensible, and violating rights and freedoms all seem to be very modern concepts. That last point especially.

Please, I am not pointing fingers and even less "acting like I'm innocent". Based on the policy of not using the terms "racist" and "racism" ICly, I just suggested that we don't use "terrorism" and "terrorist" either. Remember that if you decide to publish something on a Suggestion Thread you must be constructive and not negative.

So with that in mind...and being that our IG/IC population is diverse, I think it would be fun to describe IG "Terrorists" with seemingly made up terms such as "Destructionists, Anachristers, Blight of Civilized Man, etc").  You know, have a little fun with it.

This is more like what I'm proposing (emphasis of mine).